Pär Strömberg Contributor -- Sweden

Photo by Pelle Jansson

Pär Strömberg, born 1972 in Örebro, Sweden – lives and works in
Amsterdam, The Netherlands and Stockholm, Sweden. Teaching at Örebro
College of Art, Sweden. Four time nominated for the Royal Dutch Painting
Prize (2004-2007) and winner of the Wim Izaks Painting Prize in 2002. Travels and exhibits all over the world in fairs, auctions, galleries
and museums.

Pär Strömberg’s mythic figurative landscapes are not so much
registrations of actuality as representations of states of mind and
atmospheres that, the artist asserts, can be recognized by ‘collective
memory’ even if they have never been directly experienced. Using
multiple glazes Strömberg brings his ‘dreamy stories’ about archetypal
struggles to rich and delicate life.

His paintings have developed
into a registration of the landscape of his native country Sweden, both
physical and psychological. The presence of the landscape and the wild
nature is very impact, both relieving as well as frightening and
intimidating. The beauty and freedom the landscape speaks about, has an
ever so under laying threatening and mournful side.

His
paintings are not only spectacular landscapes, also storytelling where
Pär is working with and executing specific ideas and emotions into
layers of imagery. Even though the borderline and mystic ambivalence
always is present in his art, his later work has a legible influence of
occult rites and myths, pagan stories and paraphrases from art history.

LP: Your work has an ethereal
quality while maintaining a sense
of strength, even a bit of danger. It draws a
viewer into it like
following a trail into a forest, where one suddenly
realizes they are
not quite certain where they are, or what is really in the
shadows
around them. As they question whether they should stand their
ground,
or run back the way they came from, layers of your
paintings seem to offer up
clues to their past, present, and future
selves. There is a rugged mysticism
that suggests endless magic
coupled with starkest realities. Do you think your
art challenges
your audience to access deeper parts of themselves as they
engage
in the world you create?

PS:There is of course a hope
for a higher experience, but I wouldn’t say that is the main target. I
play on
a sort of collective memory that hopefully triggers the minds of the
audience,
yet to keep my narrative as a backdrop for their own. My titles always
gives a
hint to what my idea is based upon, but it doesn’t dictate any answers. I
see
my landscapes as sort of mindscapes, a place for rest and contemplation
in this
media frenzied world that is today. In that rest of peace, both darkness
and
light is lurking. It’s like a psychological mind trip of the layers of
oneself.

LP: You
identify yourself as a pagan on your facebook page, and the Scandinavian and
Celtic pagans often worshiped in sacred groves. They see a world which is
multi-dimensional, elemental, filled with myth and balanced along the line of
light and dark. Your work is vitally connected to your heritage and native
landscape of Sweden, and in pieces like Mis
Du - Black Month (2004-2005), viewers cross the threshold into a grove of
trees that feel modern, yet ancient. After the first glance, we are not sure if
you are presenting a memory of the past, or inviting us into an uncertain present.
In the end, it looks like both, that we have come to a place where time is not
linear and the surface is only a starting point. Tell us about your past and
present evolution; did you grow up feeling such a strong connection to your
heritage? Was it encouraged by your family? What did you find amongst the trees
of your hometown of Örebro that flowed through your brush and transformed blank
canvases into talismans of timeless art?

PS: First
I must say that I don’t call myself Pagan. I’m without any religion or belief.
Yet, the past of our land has had crucial impact on trying to identify myself
with my heritage. Most of my family is practicing Christians and it has been
my rebellion against it that has triggered my interest in the occult and the
pagan past. Back in the early eighties, heavy metal music was the strongest
uprising for me and my friends against our parents. We we’re too young to get
into politics so we just tried to piss them off by hailing the dark. On a
deeper level, there was so much symbolism and strong values in that revolt that
it trigger our interest in mysticism and magical experiences. Today this is
mainly connected with Black Metal, where they have taken it to another level.
In my work, that symbolism is again transformed and taken to another step. The
ever present dark woods surrounding where I grew up is still a
playground for the secret and hidden.

LP: You have had exhibitions in Sweden,
Norway, Holland, Germany,
America; have I missed any places?

PS:
Finland, England, and Ireland.

LP: Do
you find that the reactions and comments about your work varies
by locale, or is
there a consensus of feeling? You have mentioned that
many people feel that
your work is “dark.” Is that reaction more prevalent
in certain areas, or are
you discovering that we all really have a lot in
common?

PS: I think my work is more exotic outside Scandinavia. However it measures up
here with the recognition and experiences more closely connected to the forests.
Outside Scandinavia I suppose the experience is on a less physical level and
more mental. If someone calls my work dark, I suppose they don’t see all the
light in them, making the darkness present. Still, I mostly hear that comment
from people that isn’t very initiated. If the spectator would just settle down
for a minute and really look at my work for longer than an average MTV clip,
they would experience and see a lot more.

I
believe we do have a lot in common over the boarders, especially in the western
world. I’m not sure if my work would have the same impact in parts of the world
that is not based upon the Judeo-Christian morals that has filled our minds
with guilt and sin. I guess my work is, whether I like it or not, a direct
reaction to that.

LP:
You are primarily a painter, but also do charcoal drawings. Do you create in
any other mediums? Do you set aside time with the intention of creating art, or
do you wait for inspiration to strike? I am sure it varies, but how long do you
usually spend on a piece?

PS:
I work full-time in my studio, only taking time off when i teach at the Örebro
College of Art and or traveling. I also do watercolors and pencil drawings,
but rarely shows them. I’m not sure why yet. I’m fairly busy with everything
surrounding an artistship, I have no assistant, so (I do) everything from accounting
and logistics to the daily practice of painting. My wife Carolinehelps out a
lot with the business side of it all, she’s a great friend, supporter and asset
for my confidence. I
also used to write for some magazines, mostly columns and sometimes interviews
with fellow artists and musician friends. I enjoyed it a lot, but time is not
really on my side for that right now.

My
work develops in groups where I can work with more than one canvas at the same
time. This makes it possible to bring painterly qualities, techniques and color
tones straight in the next waiting piece instead of re-inventing it every time.
By that I get that familiar Strömberg touch to all my work. It’s impossible to
say for how long I work on one single paintings, it varies from days to months.

LP:
You stated in a previous interview that the energy and power of music has been
very influential in your work, and that many metal bands employ pagan symbolism
as a way to encourage people to listen to their inner depths and selves. What
have you found in yourself in the course of creating such rich and
thought-provoking work?

PS:
I grew up in Örebro which have more bands per capita then any other place I know
of. All my friends were in bands and so was I. Today, a few of us went on
becoming artists, designers and what-not where most of them are still
musicians. We were a great creative bunch and very curious minded. The music
has always been there as an influence but it has never been crucial for my
work. Music has it’s ways of getting out to the masses which makes it a great
way for bands to get their voices heard. As an artist I work on a different
level and most of my clients are not goth kids, obviously. Still, I have to
maintain an open and honest way to communicate my language, whether it’s heard
(or seen) by masses or not. The quality in my work is to be experienced en
place. Reproductions and digital images just won’t do it justice.

LP:
Though you tap into an occult mysticism in your paintings, you are also a very
contemporary and savvy person who seems fully engaged in an eclectic arts
scene. You had a show called “Ride the Lightning” in Berlin, named after an
album by Metallica. You have made album covers for friends. You are also a We
activist, from the WeSC clothing company (We are the Superlative Conspiracy). I
have read that WeSC has stores in New York and Beverly Hills, but would like to
become more known in America. It is not simply a clothing line, but a way of
life and thought that essentially started in the skating world and branched out
into the art and music scenes. People can check out the site and watch a WeSC
film here: http://wesc.com/.

Can
you clue readers into what it means to be a We activist?

PS: I
guess that it’s part of our group of friends that grew up together that wanted
something more. Instead of getting drawn in to drug abuse because of our rural
boredom we created our future. WeSC was co-founded by one of my childhood
friends and many of the so called activists share my background, whether they
are from Sweden or elsewhere. We are a superlative conspiracy as we say. A
group of people from the street cultures that has created a network. The
clothing line is the roof for that but none of us is answering to them as a
company. We are all just doing what we like to do and we’re doing it good. The
street cultures may differ depending on location. In Örebro, it was all about
metal and punk, music and skateboarding. In other places it might be graffiti,
hip-hop, dance or whatever. Our interests may also differ a lot. I have always
been very curious and I read all the time. For me, constantly getting more
knowledge is crucial. I don’t see that different interests in different areas
have to clash, as long as they are my interests they are part of me and
important for my development as an artist.

LP:
You have lived and worked in Amsterdam, and are currently teaching art at
Örebro College of Art, which you also attended between 1994 and 1996. You also
attended the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam. What are the differences
between the art communities in Holland and Sweden? What do they have in common?

PS: I
moved to Amsterdam to pursue my art education and didn’t plan to stay there for
so long. 14 years later I’m moving back to Sweden. Amsterdam brought me in with
open arms as their art scene is very eclectic. Straight after my graduation
from Rietveld in 1999 I got invited for a group show at the Stedelijk Museum, a
show that rocketed my career there. But to be part of an art scene you need to
be in place. I lost the contact with the Swedish scene when I wasn’t really
interested in showing there. Now when I’m back, a lot has changed and I’m a
rookie again. I find it interesting to experience the aspects of different art
scenes, they may differ a lot from town to town but mostly they are built on
the same sort ofanxious protection of
their rights. The art scene dictates who is who and what is art in their little
turf. Protective and anxious, elitist and selective, but I guess that’s the
only way. There has been numerous of other attempts that hasn’t manage to break
down this monolith.

Teaching
however gives me a possibility to change. My students are mostly on a level
where they need the sole direction of their language. I guide and advise and it
is really rewarding. I learn a lot about my own artship by talking with others
about theirs.

LP:
How long have you been teaching? In viewing and working with your students,
where do you think contemporary art may be headed in the near future?

PS: On and off I’ve been guest teaching at Örebro
College and the Rietveld Academy for years. It’s only in the latest year I have
been doing longer projects with more substance. It’s really hard to predict the
future since most of the development of art students appear after their
graduation, out in the real life as an practicing artist. There is however a resurgent activism lurking, or maybeit’s there just because I’m interested and
very open to that. I believe painting will still be around as it has always
been and I hope that the art spongers called curators will get less important
roles in the future.

LP:
Will we in the US get to see an exhibit of your work this year or the next? Let
me know the details when they are available, and I will do my best to show up!

PS: I
had a show planned in Los Angeles for this summer, but unfortunately it is
postponed. I will keep you updated on development of that. Hopefully I will do
something in New York early next year too, but it’s still on a planning stage.
I lost contact with the US after my gallerist Caryn Coleman of Sixspace (Culver
City) moved to London two years ago. Hopefully I will come back soon, the US
has been good to me.

LP:
You have an upcoming show in Stockholm; please give us the details. Best of
luck to you for the show.

PS:
I do a book presentation for my upcoming artist book Darkness Visible.
Coinciding that event I will show some new work at the venue Restaurant Riche,
a culturalwaterhole in Stockholm. The
book contains around 20 ofmy latest
paintings, some close-ups and environmental shots from my studio. The texts are
written by freelance critics and writers Daniël Bertina, Frida Cornell and the
director of Akzo Nobel Art Foundation, Hester C. Alberdingk Thijm. I will also
launch my new website www.parstromberg.se